Photo Credit: Del-Nat

A volunteer team from Memphis-based Del-Nat Tire Corporation collected 832 used and discarded tires, which it plans to transform into living trees. How? Del-Nat is donating $1 toward the purchase of trees for each tire collected during the cleanup effort, which the company has dubbed “Tires for Trees.”

The donated trees will be planted during the fall. “We feel this is a perfect way for Del-Nat to contribute to our community – helping to beautify our city, and combating a health hazard by eliminating places – inside discarded tires – where mosquitoes can breed,” said Jim Mayfield, president of Del-Nat. “You could say we’re completing the cycle, from delivering new tires to properly disposing the used ones.”

For more great green ideas, we invite you to read the 2013 edition of our Environment Annual, due out this June.

TireNews’ annual guide to the latest in passenger tires.

As winter gives way to warmer weather, it’s only a matter of time before the public streams in to shed their winter tires. TireNews asked tire makers what’s new and exciting for 2013, and here’s what they had to say:

BRIDGESTONE

Potenza RE97A/S: If you are looking for a tire that combines the thrill of road-gripping performance with the comfort of a quiet ride, the Potenza RE97AS is the ideal choice. It gives you long wear life without sacrificing the control and precise handling of a performance tire.

POTENZA RE-11A: If you are looking for a state-of-the-art tire that delivers the rush of great handling and response, our enhanced Potenza RE-11A is the ideal choice. It’s a tire that brings the control and precision of racetrack performance to everyday sacrificing performance or greater wear life.

CONTINENTAL

General Tire’s AltiMax RT: This tire features Visual Alignment Indicators, which help consumers visually identify tire tracking ir­regularities so tires can be re-aligned to extend the tread life; Acoustic Modulation Sound Technology, a sound wave suppres­sion technology which reduces road tire noise; and a Twin Cushion Silica Tread Compound, comprised of unique high and low density treads, designed to deliver the ultimate in ride comfort. Reactive Contour Technology reacts to dif­ferent road conditions to maintain contact with the road surface.

GOODYEAR

Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season (avail­able at retail outlets in June): This is a sport perform­ance tire with responsive handling and confident all-season trac­tion, thanks to a proven asymmetric tread. An innovative tread rubber com­pound helps to provide outstanding wet and dry performance with enhanced grip in ice and snow. The tire also features full-depth sipes for confident grip as the tire wears, and a rim protector to help guard against accidental curb damage.

HANKOOK

Optimo H725: The Optimo H725 is a re-design of the Mileage Plus II, an all-season tire previ­ously sold in Canada. The new tire fea­tures simi­lar tread design as its predecessor, but an up­grade in the tire compound and structure has been made to satisfy the performance needs of today’s vehicles. A speed-symbol up­grade from S to T, H or V and increase in tire mileage are two of the addition­al features in the re-designed tire, al­lowing drivers of the Standard Touring All-Season tire to experience long and regular wear.

KUMHO

Solus Vier (KH21): A true all weather tire with a snow flake. It boasts a directional pattern for out­standing wet performance, optimal per­formance in all weather con­ditions, multi sipes for snow performance, and wide lateral grooves for en­hanced hydroplaning resistance.

Ecsta 4X (KU22): The Ecsta 4X delivers class-leading ultra high perform­ance in wet and dry con­ditions with­out leaving you strand­ed in the snow. the Ecsta 4X combines value and perform­ance, and of­fers a 60,000 km limited mile­age warranty.

MICHELIN

Pilot Sport A/S 3: This new all-season tire benefits from a number of innovations, notably a compound that contains what Michelin calls “extreme” amounts of silica. In short, Michelin has figured out how to pack more silica into the tire compound than previously possible, which in turn dramatically increases the tire’s grip – both in dry, but especially in wet road conditions. Although not a winter tire, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 has been engineered to stay more pliable at lower temperatures, which means it may be suitable for winter driv­ing in some conditions.

NOKIAN

WR All-Weather: The new Nokian WR All-Weather tires offer a combination of safety and carefree driving pleasure for every season. WR G3 is designed for dif­ferent vehicles and drivers, but for any weather. These environment­ally friendly premium products feature nano­technology, canola oil and the solid winter expertise of Nokian Tyres, which guarantee their reliable functional­ity in the typically varying weather condi­tions of North America.

PIRELLI

Cinturato P7 A/S Plus: The Cinturato P7. All Season Plus is the latest addition to Pirelli’s Cinturato family alongside the Cinturato P7 the very first environment­ally friendly high-performance tire line for touring and luxury touring cars. The new P7 All Season Plus was de­veloped by Pirelli’s engin­eers with the objective of pro­viding one tire for all seasons that fur­ther improved the safety and ecological characteristics of the Cinturato P7. for the replacement market without compromising performance.

WESTLAKE / GOODRIDE

SP06: Balance of performance and value, this all-season tire offers a comfortable ride, long tread and excellent performance. Outstanding wet traction during cornering, improved shoulder sipes to combat uneven wear, and a warranty of 80,000 Km or 2 years from the date of pur­chase round out the package.

SV308: All season Silica-based compound improves wet and dry traction without sacrificing tread wear. A rim protector shields the wheel and helps resist lateral deflection while pro­viding superior hand­ling control and en­hanced cornering. Circumferential V-grooves pro­mote proper water drain­age without impacting cor­nering grip. Warranty of 40,000 km or 2 years from the date of purchase.

SAILUN

Terramax CVR LX: An all-season tire specifically en­gineered for SUVs and crossovers. The CVR deliv­ers exceptional handling and stability for to­day’s crossover vehicle demands without comprom­ising ride comfort. Circumferential grooves and lateral sipes increase traction on wet surfaces, while large shoulder blocks and centre ribs provide respon­siveness and high speed stability.

Terramax A/T: Designed to deliver superi­or traction for SUVs, pickups and vans both off and on the road. Aggressive open shoulder tread design expels water, snow, slush and mud for optimum traction in all terrain conditions. Solid centre rib provides superior ride comfort and control. Extra deep tread sipes at varying angles improve comfort without sacrificing traction.

YOKOHAMA

Avid Ascend: The new Yokohama AVID Ascend is a premium all-season tire that incorporates orange oil to improve tread life and enhance fuel economy. The new Yokohama AVID Ascend is aimed squarely at the premium touring tire market, where its un­limited kilometre tread­wear warranty will make it appealing to a broad cross-section of premium tire buyers.

The New Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3
Photo Credit: Éric Descarries

New-product launches are a rarity these days in virtually every category. Our attention is thus turned towards newer variants of previously-launched tires. It’s hard not to notice the recent trend towards ‘greener’ products in the replacement tire market.

There are a few new products out there, witness the new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3, which will hit the market as a high-performance tire, although we tested it on conventional vehicles such as the Cadillac CTS and Audi A4. The typical owners of these models may not be in the market for high-performance tires, but they will certainly appreciate the outstanding road

The Michelin Defender Continues to Grow in Popularity
Photo Credit: Michelin

handling and the fact that these all-season tires will provide an extra degree of safety on wet roads and in colder conditions. It’s important to note that Michelin should gain market share as it improves the availability of its Defender line of tires.

Bridgestone will launch its new high-performance Potenza RE97AS tire as well as the RE11A, an evolution of the RE-11. The RE97AS, which replaces the G019, qualifies as an all-season tire and is expected to arrive this summer for such popular vehicles as

The New Bridgestone RE97AS
Photo Credit: Bridgestone

the Acura TL, Mazda6 and Nissan Maxima. It carries both V and W speed ratings, and will be available in 23 sizes for 16” to 19” wheels. Bridgestone is also innovating in the mid-size SUV market with the new Dueler H/P Sport AS for 17” to 19” wheels. Both new products are marketed as being ‘green’.

On the Goodyear front, a new Eagle Sport All-Season line of tires will be launched this summer and is expected to be available in 47 different sizes before years-end. This tire is easily identifiable by its asymmetric tread design.

The Pirelli P7 All-Season Plus
Photo Credit: Pirelli

Pirelli is offering its new P7 All-Season Plus specifically designed for negative-camber suspensions such as those found on the rear of the Mazda3, as well as BMW and Mercedes-Benz products. According to Yves Day of Pirelli Canada, the market is trending towards H and V speed-rated tires, which were once considered to be performance tires, but are now more durable than ever. The Pirelli P7 All-Season has a 110,000 km ‘life expectancy’. He is also quick to point out that Pirelli is working to offer a wider range of sizes to satisfy the vast selection of wheels in the market.

Is Green a Popular Colour Choice for You? 

The growing trend in the replacement tire market makes it easier than ever to be ‘green’. An ever-increasing number of Yokohama Ascend, Michelin Green X, Pirelli Scorpion Verde and even Nokian ENtire tires should be making their way to a road near you. Consumers are learning that these types of tires not only reduce fuel expenses, in most cases they also last much longer!

The Nokian Rotiiva for Light-Duty Trucks
Photo Credit: Nokian

On the light-duty truck front, although the Michelin LTX M/S2 is recommended for its durability, the Nokian Rotiiva AT is also recommended for SUV’s and light-duty trucks. This Scandinavian product is recommended for off-road use, as well as being donned with the snowflake and mountain pictograms that attest its credentials for winter use.

• 
  D2 Forged has a lineup of custom luxury wheels for the most exotic vehicle types. The company had a number of models from their Fixed Modular Series on hand at the New York International Auto Show. These two-piece D2 Forged custom wheels are available in sizes ranging from 18 to 22 inches!
• 
  This new Porsche is equipped with new two-piece D2 Forged wheels.
• 
  How about these unique D2 wheels on the all-new Ferrari?
• 
  Boutique manufacturer Mansory had these spectacular Range Rover SUV wheels on display at the New York International Auto Show. Notice the classy modifications to the body panels!
• 
  Speciality wheels manufacturer RAYS had its Gram Lights series of luxury and exotic vehicle wheels on display. RAYS wheels happened to be manufactured in Japan, unlike the majority of these types of wheels which are usually made in China.
• 
  A number of sports cars, such as this Scion FRS, displayed the various RAYS products.
• 
  Lorinser is a German tuner that specializes in converting German vehicles such as Mercedes-Benz and smart. They also offer a line of replacement wheels for these vehicles such as those present at the New York International Auto Show.

The new Yokohama TY517 is quickly verified by SmartWay
Photo Credit: Yokohama

There’s no shortage of commercial tire news these days, now that the US economy is in full recovery mode.

Bridgestone is bringing back Dayton! In fact, there was a time when Dayton truck and auto tires were very popular on the market. However, Bridgestone, who now owns both Dayton and Firestone, ditched the brand’s truck segment around two years ago.

But, noticing a renewed interest for more affortable products by owner-drivers as well as by small and large fleet managers, management at Bridgestone withdrew this decision earlier this year. “We are bringing back Dayton truck tires to provide a viable solution on the market… tires with proven technology that are immediately available to meet market demands,” says Bert Jones, Manager of Product Marketing.

This new family of Dayton tires now includes: Rib All Position tires, that, as the name implies, can be used in all positions, Radial Metro All Position for regional applications and pick-up and delivery, Drive Radial Deep Skid, a drive axle tire designed for high-scrub applications and the Radial Highway Service tire, designed for tandem and single-axle trailers. Of course, a variety of sizes will become increasingly available as the brand grows.

The new Yokohama added to SmartWay’s list 

Yokohama’s TY517 tire has received the honour of being added to the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay list of verified tires. According to the manufacturer, the TY517 is Yokohoma’s 9^th such product to receive this distinction. The tire’s official launch will take place in March at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky.

The TY517 is a wide-base heavy-duty tire that, according to its maker, provides a better grip and longer regular wear. For now, the tire will only be available in size 445/50R22.5.

Another tire joins the SmartWay line-up.
Photo Credit: Continental

SmartWay certifies Continental’s EcoPlus HD3 tire

With EPA’s SmartWay distinction decidedly gaining some influence, a place in this selective club is coveted by all. Continental has once again successfully joined the ranks with its EcoPlus HD3, a low rolling resistance tire for Class 8 trailers.

Continental now has a total of 39 truck tires, new and retreaded, verified by SmartWay.  The EcoPlus HD3 is a third-generation long-haul truck tire. To be released mid year, the tire will be available in the following sizes: 11R22.5, 295/75R22.5, 11R24.5 and 285/75R24.5.

Photo Credit: Icon Tire

Icon Tire has introduced the first tire built with Visual Tire Performance Indicators (VTPI). Known as the Icon Innovator, the system uses colour-coded indicators instead of wear bars.

Built into the tread of the tire, the indicator’s colour coding system gives drivers an easy reference point for tire wear. Based on whether the indicator is black, yellow or red, a driver can instantly see when a tire needs to be replaced.

Indicators are black when the tire is new. As the tire wears the VTPIs turn yellow. When it is time to replace the tires, the VTPIs turn red.

“I feel it is really important to build a tire that empowers drivers to make sound decisions about tire maintenance and driving habits,” said Icon Tire Founder and CEO, Pat O’Brien. “Icon tires build an easy-to-understand safety message into every tire, all at a reasonable price point for the average driver.”

Photo Credit: TIA

The Tire Industry Association (TIA) is accepting nominations for the 2013 Tire Industry Hall of Fame. The deadline for nominations is Friday, July 5, 2013.

The Hall of Fame is open to individuals in the tire industry, including manufacturers, inventors, publishers, equipment suppliers, tire association executives, tire dealers, tire and rubber recyclers and retreaders.

Inductees are chosen based on the following criteria: their contributions of new ideas, practices and/or innovations that promote the health and well-being of the tire industry; their exemplary and distinguished service in the tire industry; and the respect of their peers. Contributions in civic, cultural, educational or charitable endeavours will be considered, but are not a primary consideration as attributes for selection.

“The Tire Industry Hall of Fame gives us an opportunity to recognize those who have given so much to strengthen the industry. The Hall of Fame Committee always has a challenging task in selecting recipients, as there are so many individuals that are worthy of recognition,” said TIA Executive Vice President Roy Littlefield.

This year’s recipients will join 2012 inductees including Randy Clark, chairman and president of Dunn Tire; Bruce Halle, Discount Tire founder; Paul Kruder, founder of Computerized Information and Management Services (awarded posthumously); and Pete Veldman, Tire Rack founder.

Busy, Busy

It’s a busy time for tire dealers. Do you have time to plan for future growth?

By the time this issue of TireNews arrives at most tire stores, the spring rush will be well under way. It’s a busy time for tire dealers, and you’re likely working overtime just to keep up with demand.

Once the dust settles, however, you’ll have to start planning for the future, and we’re excited to have the opportunity to bring you some insightful advice on how to do so effectively.

Web strategies

Our editorial team had the pleasure of attending Dealer Talk, a conference put on for car dealers in Toronto. One of the speakers at that conference was an ad­vertising and marketing guru who offered some incredible insightful advice on how dealers can drive traffic to their websites.

Although the advice was for car dealers, it applies to tire dealers as well. We hope you take the time to read our report on the con­ference on page 30. It will open your eyes to a whole new way of attracting attention on the Internet, building a solid online reputa­tion, and eventually increasing sales.

While we’re on the topic of the Internet, what are you doing to compete with online tire vendors? They’re not going away any time soon, so you either have to join ‘em or beat ‘em. We’ve got a bit of advice on how to do both on page 25.

Special File

We’re also happy to bring you our annual Passenger Tire overview. We call this our Special File. We contacted all the major tire brands to find out what’s new and ex­citing in passenger tires. They sent us the tires they wanted to shine a spotlight on, and we’re glad to pass on their thoughts to you, our valued readers.

Finally, we’ve got a report on run-flat and LRR tires. According to a recent study, customers aren’t thrilled with either. There seems to be an issue with ride qual­ity, price, and overall expectations. What should you be telling your customers? We’ve got all the answers on page 12.

As always, we reserved a page for Peter Gregory, one of our respected columnists. In this month’s issue he addresses deflation and how it’s impacting your business. The good news is that there’s a way to maintain profits, despite lower prices. How? I’ll let Peter answer that question on page 10.

Enjoy the read!

Click here to read TireNews May 2013

There are few more pervasive trends in the auto industry these days than improving fuel economy. Not only increasingly mandated by government, but increasingly in demand by consumers, efficiency is no longer optional.

Along with vehicle compon­ents and powertrains, the quest for better fuel economy touches accessories as well, and tires are no exception.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently finalized its Heavy-Duty National Program, which estab­lishes fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards for medium- and heavy-duty engines and vehicles. Last April, Environment Canada published proposed Heavy-Duty Vehicle and Engine Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations, whose standards largely align with the U.S. program, and require separate emis­sions standards compliance for the engine and the rest of the vehicle.

Such measures encourage the use of low rolling resistance tires, which are estimat­ed to offer improvements in fuel efficiency of between 4 and 11 percent on a tractor-trailer combination when installed on all three axle groups. In heavy-duty truck­ing applications, the US Department of Energy estimates that low rolling resist­ance tires can reduce rolling resistance by as much as 15 to 20 percent.

As a result, low rolling resistance tires are increasingly penetrating the truck­ing market, but meeting some resist­ance of their own from operators who don’t think the tires perform as well on packed snow. Given that low rolling re­sistance tires often feature a different tread compound and have lower tread depths than standard radials, it’s a legit­imate concern.

Testing

In response, the National Research Council and Transport Canada recently put low rolling resistance tires through a series of tests and found that they perform as well on packed snow as many tires not marketed for low roll­ing resistance.

The NRC and Transport Canada engaged Smithers-Rapra, a world leader in rub­ber and plastics testing, to comparison-test LRR and non-LRR tires in a series of tests on a Class-8 long-haul truck. Laboratory tests included two different dynamometer-based procedures and durability testing; simultan­eous testing was conducted for traction performance on snow-covered test tracks in Kapuskasing, ON at the General Motors cold Weather Development Centre, using a subset of the tires being used in the lab.

In durability testing, which used Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards pro­cedures, all the subject tires passed minimum requirements; when tested to failure, the research found no discernible trend of performance bias towards LRR or non-LRR tires.

Transport Canada’s recently released re­port assures that conditions were consist­ent throughout the testing, including the snow conditions at the GM test track.

In the rolling resistance measurement test­ing, tires were mounted on a test rig and properly inflated; they were then subjected to varying loads while running and the ef­fort to keep them running was measured. Inflation pressure was monitored and ad­justed to compensate for pressure rise.

In durability testing, tires were mounted on a test wheel and inflated to a pressure corresponding to the tire’s maximum per­missible loads. They were then pre-con­ditioned for three hours under moderate loads at moderate speeds. Once condi­tioned, tires had to enter actual testing within 30 minutes. The test was run at a constant speed, and the load progres­sively increased in three steps.

Snow traction

In the third laboratory test, for snow traction, a single tire was mounted on a wheel and then fixed to a specially pre­pared test tractor designed to maintain a constant low speed and measure the tractive effort of a single tire.

In vehicle-based testing in Kapuskasing, the first test measured straight-line brak­ing on loaded and unloaded rigs, and a second test measured low speed turning traction with an unloaded trailer.

The tires, too, adhered to stringent stan­dards for consistency: no tire was used for more than one test, and every effort was made to ensure tires used in testing were from the same batch, to minimize potential batch-to-batch variations. The tires were ordered by Transport Canada, and any more than five years old as indi­cated by the manufacturer’s date code were rejected as test tires.

Results

The LRR tires were found to provide 29 percent less rolling resistance than traditional tires. All the tires passed minimum durability requirements with no discernible differences. Most nota­bly, the LRR tires were demonstrated to offer traction on packed snow compar­able to traditional tires.

While only a preliminary study, TransCanada says that with the excep­tion of tires specifically marketed as high-traction, results showed that the cur­rent generation of LRR tires “can offer a similar level of snow traction performance as conventional tires, while reducing fuel consumption and emissions.”

Low rolling resistance tires may well be an integral part of the continuing efforts to save fuel and lower emissions, but they’re not always an easy sell. As a result of often-reduced tread depth, LRR tires can wear out faster than standard radials, but Transport Canada says that with improved compounds and effective tread designs, tread wear can be reduced.

Low rolling resistance tires will contribute to compliance with regulations through better fuel economy and lower greenhouse emissions than traditional tires – all good news for your customers. But even better news is that they don’t necessarily have to compromise traction to save at the pumps and reap the environmental benefit.

Photo Credit: Goodyear

Cutting a ribbon featuring the pattern of a tire tread, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company held the “Grand Opening” of its new Global Headquarters.

Goodyear Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard J. Kramer, Ohio Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor and Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic made brief remarks before leading a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the tire company’s new offices.

One of the Goodyear associates participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony was Paul Sandstrom, who joined the company in 1967. He was selected to represent Goodyear’s 69,000 associates at the event due to his embodiment of the company’s heritage and innovative spirit. A polymer chemist, Sandstrom holds nearly 1,400 patents.

The 639,000 square foot Global Headquarters building is home to nearly 2,000 corporate and North American Tire associates. The new building is connected to Goodyear’s existing Innovation Center and serves as a central campus for the company in Akron.